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75 Simple Paper Plate Crafts for Every Occasion!

July 14, 2015 by Sarah 22 Comments

We love all things simple in this house, which might be why paper plate crafts are such a hit.  No need for anything too fancy, complicated, or expensive for my kids to get creative with.

We like things like paint, paper, glue, yarn, tape, and paper plates.  We really like paper plates.  So much so that I challenged myself to find 75 paper plate crafts for kids to keep in my back pocket for a rainy day (or 75).

I have found ALL THE THINGS! There are paper plate hats, holiday paper plates crafts, zoo animals, birds, creepy crawlies, food themed paper plate art projects, and even paper plate games and activities! 

The best kids crafts using paper plates! So many simple and cute paper plate craft ideas. #crafts #kids #paperplate #fun #parenting #DIY

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Finding 75 paper plate crafts for kids was actually easy!  I was able to be picky and choose activities that are easy and appropriate for kids to actually make themselves.  So – here is our list of …

75 Paper Plate Crafts for Kids

Hats


paper plate crafts dinosaur hat how we learn

  • Dinosaur Bobbling Hats. These paper plate hats were so fun to make, and even more fun for my kids to wear!


paper plate crafts for kids hats

  • Hats for ANY occasion! by Alphamom.  This post is amazing!!!!  This Mama shows you how to turn a paper plate into a hat for any occasion – I can tell you my little ones will be very happy I stumbled upon this post!


an easter hat made from paper plates

  • Easter Bonnet by Mama Jenn.  This would also make such a sweet hat for dress up play! Nothing beats paper plate crafts that can be re-used in play!


cat in the hat hats made from paper plates

  • The Cat in the Hat Hat by I Can Teach My Child.  These are so sweet!  Made from only one paper plate.  We are going to be making these ones too!

Holiday Paper Plate Crafts

pumpkin garland from paper plates. Awesome crafts for toddlers

  • Jack-o-lantern Garland by PinLaVie.  This paper plates craft would look great on a kids bedroom door for Halloween!


simple and easy paper plate Christmas crafts for preschoolers!

  • 15 Easy Paper Plate Christmas Crafts.   This one is my only cheat on the list – I compiled this list of 15 paper plate crafts over Christmas, so I am counting it as 15 🙂  These paper plate crafts are easy enough for kids to make all on their own – and turn out super cute too!


easter basket paper plates craft

  • Easter Basket by Toddler Approved.  Love this simple idea!  It could be easily adapted for so many things!


So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

  • Ghosts by Momma’s Fun World.  Ghosts are perfect easy paper plate crafts for kids.  This is an ideal craft for little ones!

Zoo Animals

  • Polar Bear. A fun winter craft that can also strengthen fine motor skills!

kid made elephants from paper plates

  • Elephant by Activity Village.  This elephant craft is fantastic for learning about texture too!

lions with noodles paper plate craft for kids

  • Lion by Mrs Karen’s Class.  I love the learning that could go with paper plate crafts like this one …. counting, patterning …

a giraffe craft made with paper plates for preschoolers

  • Giraffe by i Heart Crafty Things.  I think these little paper plate giraffe heads are so sweet.  I may put them in our playroom with long necks and use them as growth charts for my little ones!

Birds

birds made from shapes and paper plates

  • Birdies by The Nest.  These little plump birds are so sweet.  They would really be a paper plate craft to brighten up a home during those grey winter months.

So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

  • Seagulls by Local Fun for Kids.  These cute seagulls would look great in a preschool classroom during a Beach theme!!

owl craft made from paper plates by preschoolers

  • Owls [post no longer available] by Cheap, Crafty Mama. Gluing feathers to the paper plates make it a great sensory activity as well.

chicken paper plate crafts for kids

  • Chickens by Molly Moo.  I love when “Mommy has a turn” and adds sneakers to her chicken.

paper plate crafts peacock made from a folded paper plate

  • Peacock [post no longer available] by JDaniel4sMom.  This peacock was made as an extension to a story – such a great idea!

fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Birds in a Nest by Refined Metals Academy.  These little birdies look so sweet in their paper plate nest!


So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

  • Birds in a Nest by Parents.  These versions of birds in a nest as paper plate crafts are for a little bit older children.  I love the little pom pom birds!

a paper plate craft with a paper plate cut to look like a swan

  • Swan by Sylvan Lake Library Kids.  This paper plate craft could be used in so many different ways!  I love the swan, and with a few little tweaks it could be a basket too!

Creepy Crawlies


ladybug paper plate crafts for kids

  • Ladybugs by No Time for Flashcards.  I love how this craft can be full of learning too!!  Symmetry, numbers, even matching upper and lowercase letters!


spiders made from paper plates and pipecleaners

  • Spiders by Coffee Cups and Crayons.  These are sweet and easy paper plate crafts!  I am not a fan of spiders – but even I think these are darling.


painting a paper plate to make a bee

  • Bees by Preschool Crafts for Kids.  Love the learning that can come from this plate craft!  Patterning is a great skill for preschoolers to practice.

a paper plate craft coiled snake made from a spiralled paper plate

  • Snakes [post no longer available] by Click a Craft.  My little guys would have a great time with this craft!  And it is great for developing cutting skills with scissors in preschoolers too.

Other Animals

paper plate animal craft groundhog

  • Groundhogs by i Heart crafty things.  I simply adore these paper plate animals … look at the teeth!

cats made from painted paper plates

  • Cats [post no longer available] by Creativity Takes Flight.  These easy paper plate crafts were done as an extension to a book.  These little cats are just adorable!  Such a creative idea from Creativity Takes Flight!

a spiky hedgehog made from kids cutting paper plates

  • Hedgehog by Michelle at Sassy Deals.  Hmmm … kids crafts with paper plates don’t get much cuter than this one.

black bat paper plate craft

  • Bats by My Preschool Crafts.  This is such a unique use of folded paper plates for these cute bats.  What a great activity for Fall!


paper plate crafts for preschoolers. Cows made by kids from paper plates

  • Cows [post no longer available] by Squidoo.  This is another paper plate craft that could be used in a million different ways!


a colorful paper plate fish craft

  • Fish by Local Fun for Kids.  I think these fish paper plate crafts would make a great bulletin board in a preschool or classroom.


a cute paper plate craft for kids!

  • Oyster by Crafty Crafted.  Love the cotton ball as the pearl for these kids crafts with paper plates.


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Frog by Preschool Crafts for Kids.  These would be great paper plate crafts for preschoolers learning about tadpoles and frogs!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Dragon by DLTK Holidays.  These dragon paper plate crafts for kids would be great for Chinese New Year Celebrations!


aquarium craft with pebbles as a paper plate craft

  • Aquarium [post no longer available] by Xwrapaidiwn.  This post is not in English, but the pictures are quite explanatory.  What a sweet and simple paper plate craft for kids!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Pig by Busy Bee Crafts.  This craft for kids would be excellent for following directions — and learning shapes too!


a turtle paper plate craft for kids

  • Turtle [post no longer available] by No Time for Flashcards.  The learning that could go along with this paper plate craft is wonderful!  Shapes, sizes, sorting, counting – anything!


dinosaur made from cut paper plates

  • Dinosaur by i Heart Crafty Things.  I love these sweet T-rexes – perfect kids crafts with paper plates!

Food Crafts

Paper plate apple craft for kids

  • Paper Plate Apples. My kids and I made these after a fun fall day at the apple orchard. I love the handprint leaves!
    pies made by kids from paper plates
  • Thanksgiving Pies by Mom Trusted.  These sweet pies paper plate crafts would be great for any time of year!


peas in a pod paper plate craft

  • Peas in a Pod by Teach Preschool.  Absolutely adorable.  This would be lovely to send home after the first week of preschool with names of friends attached to the peas.


colourful fruit craft made from paper plates

  • Lots of Fruity Fruit by All Free Kids Crafts.  These colourful fruits would be great paper plate crafts for kids in the summer, or to brighten up a grey winter day.


a watermelon paper plate craft with seeds by kids

  • Watermelon [post no longer available] by Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.  I love how this paper plate craft is so full of learning!

Paper Plate Activities


make believe play with paper plates

  • The Drawing Chef – this fun make believe play inspires so much creativity in little ones – all you need is paper plates and crayons!


sun dial made with straws and paper plates

  • Sun Dial by Preschool Crafts for Kids.  This paper plate activity really peaked my interest!  It looks as though it would be so cool – we will be giving this a try this summer!


clocks made from paper plates

  • Clocks by Mum in the Madhouse.  This paper plate craft is fantastic for helping kids learn to tell time.  I think the idea of the lift up tabs to tell the minutes is brilliant!

Paper Plate Weather Crafts


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • 3D Umbrella Mobile by The Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.  Kids crafts with paper plates can look so great!  This one is proof of that!


rainbow streamers hanging from cut cloud plate

  • Rainbows from Clouds by Happiness is Homemade.  This would be a great activity when introducing preschoolers to colours, the spectrum, or weather! Grab a paper plate, some cotton balls, multicolored  ribbon, and you’re set!


a sunshine craft made from paper plates

  • Sunshine [post no longer available] by Creativity takes Flight.  This would be great practice of shapes for preschoolers!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Rainbows by Make and Takes.  I love the different options Make and Takes suggests with these paper plate crafts for kids!


wind spinners made from spiralled paper plates

  • Wind Spinners by Education.com.  These wind spinners are great!  So much fun to make, and full of learning as well!

Paper Plate Musical Instruments


a tambourine made from two paper plates

  • Tambourine by Education.com.  Such a simple way to create music and fun!


a banjo made with paper plates and elastics

  • Banjo [post no longer available] by Crafts for Kids Blog.  This paper plate craft is one that we will be doing just as soon as we get some big elastics!!!

Other Cute Paper Plate Things!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Sunflowers by She Knows Parenting.  Using real sunflower seeds – such a great learning extension.  And great sensory play too!


hats made from paper plates

  • Baskets by Sarah Hearts.  So the kids may need a little bit of help with these … but I had to include them!


paper plate craft masks!

  • People Masks by Brassy Apples.  Such great ideas for paper plate masks with this post!  I can only imagine the creative play my little ones would have with this!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Animal Masks [post no longer available] by Naturally Educational.  These easy paper plate crafts are great for pretend and creative play.  The author at Naturally Educational used them in another way as well!


scarecrow paper plate craft

  • Scarecrows by Rainbows within Reach.  These would be such a cute extension to a book or for a Fall Harvest celebration!


fun paper plate craft ideas for kids

  • Olympic Rings by Preschool Crafts for Kids.  Love the idea of using the outside of the paper plate, coloring, and linking together like this!


a flying suacer made with paper plates by kids

  • Flying Saucer [post no longer available] by Raising Sparks.  This craft is so so creative!  What a great activity for a birthday party with a space theme! The gemstones add the perfect touch.

So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

  • Clowns [post no longer available] by CraftyVille Squidoo.  This paper plate activity with pom poms would be great for practicing colors, counting, or patterns.


So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

  • Pirates by Terrific 2s.  Arrrn’t these paper plate pirates adorable?!  What a great craft for any preschool pirate theme!

There you have it – 75 paper plate crafts for just about every situation imaginable!  I hope they have provided you with a bit of inspiration to get creative with simple things. You will never again wonder. “What crafts can I make with a paper plate?”

Keeping things simple – the way to make kiddos creative and keep a Mama sane too.

So many simple paper plate crafts for kids! These paper plate crafts are perfect for preschoolers. #paperplate #crafts #simplecrafts #preschoolactivities

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Filed Under: Activities for Preschoolers, All Ages, Art, Create, Easy Crafts, Loads of Ideas!, Popular, Preschooler, Preschoolers Tagged With: crafts

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Comments

  1. Emily says

    February 10, 2014 at 6:49 am

    Thanks so much for linking to our chicken tutorial 🙂 What a great round up of paper plate crafts, something we love doing in our house!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 10, 2014 at 9:18 pm

      Such a cute paper plate craft Emily! Love those chickens!!

      Reply
  2. Georgina @ Craftulate says

    February 10, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    What an amazing list of ideas!!!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 10, 2014 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you Georgina! And thank you for including me in your awesome initiative!

      Reply
  3. Rachel says

    February 19, 2014 at 12:38 am

    Thanks for all the great inspiration. Have linked up some of our crafts!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      February 23, 2014 at 1:24 pm

      Thank you for linking up! The more link ups the better the resource!

      Reply
  4. PlayDrMom says

    March 5, 2014 at 8:50 am

    Wow! What a terrific collection of crafts!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      March 9, 2014 at 2:27 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
      • Honey says

        December 26, 2015 at 9:46 am

        Fabulous collection of crafts .Thank you very much.

        Reply
        • Autumn says

          August 11, 2017 at 12:49 am

          Maybe you should try making paper Macha

          Reply
  5. michelle mcmahon says

    April 4, 2014 at 12:34 am

    some fantastic ideas. thankyou

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      April 4, 2014 at 8:31 pm

      So glad you like them Michelle! Thank you for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  6. SineaPies says

    July 14, 2015 at 7:44 am

    Wow! Pinnd this one to my Preschool Play & Learn board. That fish aquarium is going on my to-do list for the upcoming preschool year. F is for Fish maybe?

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 14, 2015 at 5:43 pm

      So glad you like this post Sinea! I really like the fish aquarium too – plus it adds in some neat sensory experiences with the gravel. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  7. Paulette Reynolds says

    July 30, 2015 at 9:13 pm

    I have a “paper plate art handprint” my daughter did when she started school years ago. Is there a way to preserve this? It was done on one of the “chinet” style plates.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 4, 2015 at 8:35 pm

      Hmmm … interesting question Paulette! I would be tempted to say you could probably use decoupage over top which would harden it and preserve it for years to come, but definitely try this on a “practice” paper plate first, as it is just a guess – I haven’t tried it myself. Though I really hope it works for you!! Thank you for reading.

      Reply
  8. Beba says

    February 19, 2016 at 1:26 pm

    I love the fish aquarium, ,my students going to love that!!wonderful. ..?

    Reply
  9. shirish says

    October 5, 2016 at 10:55 am

    thank you. fish aquarium n shadow clock are amazing.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      October 10, 2016 at 7:19 pm

      I love those ones too Shirish. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  10. Rukmali Dharmaweera says

    May 1, 2018 at 5:46 am

    Good job….I took ideas for my nursery children. I’m from srilanka. Thanks

    Reply
  11. Olivia Rose says

    July 15, 2021 at 7:56 am

    A fabulous collection of crafts can resist to pin them on “my-favourite-pins”. Looking forward to more fun activities and crafts ideas for my school projects.
    keep up the good work.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      July 15, 2021 at 8:08 am

      I am so glad you like these ideas – thank you for pinning! xo

      Reply

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